Apparatus for manufacturing fastening-clips.



No. a4|,19o. Patented 1an. 9, mon. F. cANFlELn. i

APPARATUS FUR MANUFACTURING FASTENING CLIPS.

(Applicatio led June 26, 1899.)

{No.Model.)

llNiTnn STaTns FRANK CANFIELD, OF BOULDER, COLORADO, ASSIGNOR TO TI-IEAMERICAN `WIREFENCE COMPANY, OF COLORADO.

APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING FAsTENlNGnCLlPs.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 641,190, dated January9, 190C).

Application filed June 26,1899. Serial No. 721,833. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it may con/0eme:

Be it known that I, FRANK CANF1ELD,aciti zen of the United States ofAmerica, residing at Boulder,in the county of Boulder and State ofColorado, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Apparatusfor Manufacturing Fastening-Clips; and I do declare the following to bea full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as willenable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and usethe same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to thefigures of reference marked thereon, which forni a part of thisspecification.

My invention relates to improvements in apparatus for manufacturingclips for use in wirefence construction; and it consists of the featureshereinafter described and claimed, all of which will be fully understoodby reference to the accompanying drawings, in which is illustrated anembodiment thereof.

In the drawings, Figure l is a side elevation of the die-block and puncharranged in operative position, the punch being raised. Fig. 2 is a sideview of the same. Fig. 3 is a sectional view showing the punch loweredto engagement with the die. Fig. 4f is a top view of the die with theguide or stripper removed. Fig. 5 is a similar View of the guide orstripper. Fig. 6 shows one of the punch bits or tools in detail. Fig. 7shows the clip-blank with the holes punched before bending. Fig. 8illustrates the completed clip, shown in two positions. y

Similar reference characters indicating corresponding parts in theseviews, let the numeral 5 designate the body of the die, which isprovided with two openings 6, an opening 7, and an opening 8.Theopenings 6 are rectangular in shape, the opening 7 is curved on twoopposite sides, as shown at 7, while the opening 8 is rectangular,preferably square, as shown in the drawings. Secured to the top of thedie-block 5 by means of screws 4 or other suitable fastening devices isa plate 9, whose under side is provided with a longitudinal guideway orgroove 10, adapted to receive the metal strip 12, from which the clips13 are formed. In this plate 9 is formed an opening comprising a narrowpart 14, located directly above the openings 6, an enlarged central part15 located above the opening 7, and the part 16, which is of a widthequal to the width of the guideway 10.

The punching apparatus or male port-ion of the machine adapted tocooperate with the female portion thereof, already described, comprisesa block 17, apertured to receive the shanks of punches 18, 19, and 20,which are detachably connected with the block by means of set-bolts 2l.The punch 18 is provided with a central recess 18a, corresponding inposition to the partition separating the two openings 6 in the block 5.The punch 19 is hollowed out on opposite sides, giving it a shape whichis the counterpart of the opening 7 with its side curves 7. Theoperating extremity of the punch 2O is considerably smaller than theopening 8 of the die-block, since its function is to bend the clip andpush it out through the said opening. Hence room for the clip must beleft in the opening on opposite sides of the punch.

The punch-block is operated by alternately raising and lowering thesaine, which may be accomplished by the use of any suitable mechanism,and as nothing is claimed thereon said mechanism need not be illustratedor described in detail.

In using the apparatus a strip of metal 12 of the proper width andthickness is fed into the groove or way 10 a sufficient distance at thebeginning to allow it to be acted on by the punches 18 and 19. The punch1S forms the holes 13, and the punch 19 rounds the end of the metalstrip at the first stroke. The punch-block is then raised and the metalstrip fed farther into the apparatus, so that the part 13 lying betweenthe holes 13n of the blank lies in the path of the punch 20, which isprovided with small teeth or projections 20, one on each side, adaptedto enter the openings 13ad on opposite sides of the partition 13C,whereby the blank is held securely in place after it is engaged by thepunch- Vhen the punchblock descends the second time, the punch 18 formsthe holes 13a' in an other blank. The punch 19 cuts off the rst blankand rounds the end of the second blank, while the punch 2O bends theblank, completing the apertured Usshaped clip and forces it downwardinto the opening 8 in the die- IOS block. As the operation is continuedthe clips 13 are forced out in succession, those above crowding thosebelow downward and out, as shown in Fig. 4. As the punch-block is raisedthe plate 9 strips or pulls the strip 12 from the punclrbit 18, thuspreventing the metal strip from being displaced during the progress ofthe operation.

Having thus described my invention, what I clairn isl. In a machine forforming apertured, U- shaped clips, the combination of a die-blockhaving two separated openings 6,an opening 7 and an opening 8, a plateattached to the top of said die-block and having a continuous openingabove the openings 6, '7 and 8 and registering therewith, a groove orway being formed in the lower surface of said plate to allow the feedingof the metal strip into the path of the punch-bits, and a vertical,reciprocating block provided with punch bits or tools adapted to enterthe openings in the dieblock for the purpose set forth.

2. In an apparatus for .manufacturing clips ot' the class described, thecombination of a die-block having two separated rectangular openings 6,an opening 7 and an opening 8, all of the said openings extendingentirely through the die-block, a plate attached to the top of thedieblock and having a continuous opening composed of parts 14, 15 and 16registering with the openings 6 6, the opening?" and the opening 8 ofthe die-block respectively, the said plate having a groove which isformed in its lower surface, of a width to receive the metal strip fromwhich the clips are to be formed, and extending from one end of theplate underneath the opening part 14 tothe opening part 15, and avertically-re ciprocating block provided with punch-bits 18, 19 and 20,the bit 18 being adapted to enter the opening 6 in the die-block andbeing provided with a central recess 18u corresponding in width to thespace separating the opening 6, the bit 19 being adapted to enter theopening 7 ofthe die-block and being longer than the bit 18, the bit 2Obeing adapted to enter the opening 8 of the die-block and engaging theclip centrally whereby the latter is bent and forced through thedie-block.

In testimony whereof I afx my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FRANK CANFIELD. Witnesses:

PETER JABEZ EDWIN ROBINSON, A. J. OBRIEN.

